Bicycle and motor-cycle attachment.



Z. ALESANI. BICYCLE AND MOTOR GYCLE ATTACHMENT.

Patented 0013.28, 1913.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 14. 1910.

.1 lllllllll 15 Zeo Znesaes J7 ZENO ALESANI, OF TRIESTE, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

BICYCLE ANI) MOTOR-CYCLE ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

Application filed November 14, 1910. Serial No. 592,356.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ZENO ALESANI, a subject of the Emperor of Austri:.t-Ilungary, and a resident of Trieste, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bicycle and Motor- Cycle Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to two wheel vehicles having t-he wheels in one common plane, like bicycles or motor-cycles.

An object of the invention is to combine .with the vehicle a third wheel which may easily be detached therefrom, for the purpose of increasing the stability of the vehicle while the same is in motion and for prevention of skidding or slipping.

Another object of the invention is to dispose the additional wheel in a plane parallel to the common plane of the ordinary wheels and to maintain the additional wheel resiliently and adj ustably in said plane.

l/Vith these and other objects in view an embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, whereinV similar reference numerals refer to similar elements.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a rear view of a bicycle having the third wheel attached, certain parts being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a part of a brace on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a side view thereof. Fig. 4 shows a portion of a connecting cable with a hook attached thereto. Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the adjusting device of the brace and Fig. 6 is a section on line A--B of Fig. 5.

The bicycle or motorcycle comprises a frame 50 in which the running wheels 51 are held in one common pla-ne by any suitable means. A rod 1 provided with a lateral projection 52 is secured to the frame and is adjustably held thereon by a fastening device 70. A split sleeve 3 is slidably mounted on the rod 1 and may be held in adjusted position by means of the wing nuts 4. A plurality of bracket-s 2 are connected with the sleeve 3; two arms 5 and 6 extend from these brackets, the arms being pivotally secured to the bracket-s and resting with their other ends in similar brackets 8 fastened to or integral with a sleeve 9. The sleeve 9 incloses the upper end of a supporting structure 71 for an additional wheel 7, the" structure comprising' a rod 10 which forms at itslower end a bearing 11 for the aXle 12 of theradditional wheel. A spring 18 is interposed between the inner end of the sleeve 9 and a shoulder 7 2 on the rod 10 maintaining thereby the third wheel 7 in resilient connection with the vehicle. By reference to the drawing it will be seen that the arms 5 and 6 will remain parallel to each other even when the direction of said arms with respect to the rod 1 varies from a right angle to any other angle. An additional arm 15 formsa resilient brace and is connected with the rod 1 by means of a split sleeve 53 which is also adjustable on the rod 1 and which maybe tightened thereon by means of the wing nut 4. The upper end of the arm 15 carries a casing 57 comprising two parts 26 and 27, said casing serving to receive an adjusting device by means of which the length of this brace may be varied arbitrarily. As the brace 15 extends in angular direction with respect to the arms 5 and 6, and as it is located preferably in one plane with said arms, it is necessary to provide means for allowing the passage of the brace 15 through the upper arm 6. For this purpose the arm 6 comprises a tubular socket 54 which is mounted on the stub 66 and another socket 55 pivotally secured to the upper pin 47 in the bracket 8. The intermediate portion between the two socket-s is bifurcated.L as shown in Fig. 1, and brace 15 is shown to extend through the space between the prongs of the bifurcated portion.

As shown in Fig. 2 the lower end of brace 15 rests on a spring 19 interposed between the brace and a plate 20, which is secured to the bracket S by means of eyes 21 of eyebo-lts 22. A second plate or flange 23 is adjustably fastenedto the bolts 22 and serves for guiding a tubular member 18 which incloses the lower end of the brace 15 and the spring 19 serving thereby to maintain the spring in alinement with the rod and also serving as a guiding means for the brace 15.

The tension of the spring 19 may be varied by adjusting the nuts 56 on their bolts, this adjustment serving to change the dis-- tance of the lower end of the tubular member 18 fi'omthe lower end of 'the brace 15, compressing thereby the spring or releasing the tension thereof. The other end of the bracing arm 15 is inclosedwithin the casing 57 which is composed of the parts 2,6 and 27, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, said' parts being held together by means of rivets or screws 58: This end ofthe bar is providedfwithv a rack 25 engaging with; ay gear 28,y rigidly mounted on the shaft 30'. The shaft 30 is rotatable within the casing 57 and is also axially slidable therein. The hub 40 of. a handle 4lk is rigidly, connected to the shaft 30. by the upper nut 48 and the lower nut 49. The handle41, therefore, serves to rotate the gear 28 and also to.` displace` it lengthwise of its axis, the allowable amount of such displacement being limited by the clearancebetween this gear wheel 28' and the inner surface of the recess within-which it is mounted; The toothed portion ofj the gear wheel 28 is broader than the width of. rackY 25, by such an amount that' the rack and wheelv will always remain in engagement irrespective ofthe vaxial displacement of the latter. Rigidly connected with the gear 28 is a toothed wheell 29, which latter in the position of parts shown in F ig6. enter-sa mating recess in the part 27. This recesshas projections adaptedtointeimesh with the teeth on the wheel 29, and serves to lock the toothed wheel 29, the gear wheel128theshaf t 30fand the handle 41 againstA rotation. Passing transversely through the shaft 30` isa pin 37 having a wedge` shaped project-ion 36. Spring 38 normally tends to press the pin 37 outward and in the position of parts shown in Fig; 6, the action of the spring 38 causes the pin 37 to engage an annular groove in the part 26 as show-n in the said figure. The pin 37, therefore, locksthe parts against axial displacement and the toothed wheel 29 entering the mating recessin par-t 27, locks the mechanism against rotation. Extending through. a tubular bore 32 ofthe shaft 30 there is a rod 344 carryingv a button 33 and normally held in the position shown in Fig; 6 by the spring 35. By depressing the button 33 the lower end of the shaft 30 engaging the wedgeshaped projections 36- causes the pin 3-7 to move back out of engagement with the annular groove and when this occurs the mechanism may bedisplaced axially untill the pin 37 registers with the wheel 29 is free of its mating recess in the part 27 and the mechanism is therefore free to rotate.

its has already been explained, the face of the gear wheel 28 is so wi'dethat its engagement with 'the rack 25 is not affected by its axial displacement so that in this new position yof the parts rotation of the handle 41 will 1cause the gear wheel 28 to actuate the rack and thus adjust the length of the brace 15.y lWhen the desired adjustment has been efl'octech the buttonv 33 is again depressed, disengaging the pin 37 from the groove 39, and the mechanism is slid axially until the toothed wheel 29 engages its mating recess in the part- 27. The button 33 is then released andthe pin 37 under the action of the spring 38 rengages the lower annular groove as shown in Fig. 6, thus locking. the adjust-ing mechanism in its new position.

For the purpose of preventing undue oscillation of the `additional wheel 7 which may be caused by unevenness of the road,

tension wires or cables 43 are secured at' 42 to. the bracket 8 and leading to parts ofthe frame 50 ofthe vehicle. (Not shown.) The tension of these cables or wires may be adjusted by means of the screws 45 which are connectedto them by the eyes 62 (Fig. 4), said screws 45. passing through frames and carrying the nuts 46. Snaphools 44 are attached tothe other end of the frame for the. purpose of. facilitating the attachment or detachment of the wires.

1 claim:

1. A two wheel vehicle comprisingin combination, a frame, wheels held in one plane by said frame, an additional detachable wheel, a resilient supportingv structure for said additional wheel, arms for uniting said wheel with the frame and a longitudinally adjustable brace, extending from said supporting4 structure to al frame portion.

2. A two wheel vehicle comprising. in combination, a frame, wheels heldin one plane by said frame, an additional detachable wheel outside of said plane, a supporting structure for said additional wheel, and a telescoping brace adjustable in length, leading from said structure to. a frame portion, the means for adjusting the length ofL the said brace comprising a rack bar on one sectionof the brace, a gear engaging with said rackbar, a pivot for the gear in the second section of the brace, and means for normally locking the said. gear against rotation.

3. A two wheel vehicle comprising in comlQbination, a frame, wheels held in one plane by said frame, an additional detachable wheel outside` of said plane, a supporting structure' for said additional wheel, a telesc'oping brace, adjustable in length, leading from. said structure to a frame port-ion, means for adjusting the length of the said Wheel from said engagement, and for actuat- 10 ing the said gear to operate the rack bar.

In testimony whereof I aiX my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

ZENO ALE SANI.

brace comprising a rack bar on one section of the brace, a gear engaging with said rack bar, a pivot for the gear on the second section of the brace, a toothed Wheel integrally connected with the said gear, a casing inclosing the gear and the toothed Wheel, means in the casing for normally engaging the toothed Wheel to prevent rotation thereof, and means for releasing the toothed Witnesses:

IGNAZ KNRPSCHNACHLE, ADA MARIA BERGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

